Large language models could democratize data use—but only if the foundations are in place Ravi Kumar July 14, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/large-language-models-could-democratize-data-use-but-only-if-the Around the third century, in Babylon — the modern-day Iraq — when the first use of zero-like symbol arose, it was a breakthrough. But in writing the book Men of Mathematics in 1937, the author Bell argued that almost everything useful that was produced in mathematics before the 7th century has now become accessible knowledge rather than elite expertise. This historical arc of complex breakthroughs eventually becoming foundational knowledge is now playing out at an accelerated pace in the digital age.